How to conserve water and save money

I know we have rain pouring from the sky and parts of our country are currently under water, but water conservation should always be top of our list of priorities.

With more people to take care of on our planet, water shortages could well become something we ALL need to be aware of in the future, so the time to prepare is now!

I don’t know how good you are with big numbers, but over on the Worldometers site you can see, in real time, the amount of water consumed across the world.

The world’s population is growing by roughly 80 million people each year and demand for freshwater is increasing by 64 billion cubic meters a year which means we need to start viewing water as the precious resource it is.

Yorkshire water is currently travelling around the country informing people how they can save water and money. They are encouraging their customers to make savings with some fantastic free water saving packs. There are six items available to choose from and you can order whichever ones you want.

They include:

Save-a-flush

This is a simple, yet effective way to save water every time you flush the toilet. By popping a Save-a-flush bag into your cistern, you’ll save a litre of water every time you flush which adds up to a saving of an astonishing 4000 litres of water a year.

Shower save

ShowerSave will help you save 11,000 litres of hot water and up to £42 off your utility bills every year by keeping the flow of water at a constant rate of 7.6 litres of water a minute.

Tap inserts

We have incredibly high water pressure here at Chez Green and I have to admit to always having a bit of a go at Mr Green who leaves the tap running when brushing his teeth. These tap inserts mix air with the water so you get the same effect with less water. By using tap inserts you can save around 7000 litres of water per year.

Shower timer

A four minute shower is long enough to get yourself clean in the morning and the less time you are in there, the less water you use. It couldn’t be simpler could it? The trouble is, once you get under that warm water, it’s easy to lose track of time. By using a shower timer you’ll be efficient and save electricity too; so it’s a win-win.

Toothy timer

The toothy timer is a fun gadget that encourages children to turn off the tap whilst brushing their teeth, saving approximately 12 litres of water each time.

If you use all of these products and have a metered water supply, you could save over 40,000 litres of water per year and around £100 on your utility bills.

If you’re not lucky enough to be a Yorkshire water customer here are three simple ways you can save water at home:

Fill it up!

Dishwashers, washing machines – only operate them with a full load.

Turn it off!

Have a quick shower, turn off the tap when you brush your teeth and make sure taps are turned off fully.

Save it!

Waiting for the hot tap to warm up or the cold tap to cool down? Gather the water and use it on your plants. Likewise make the most of free rainwater by storing it in rain barrels and using it to water plants, or clean the car and patio furniture.

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3 Comments »

I do not like showers. However, I have a bath only 3 to 4 times a fortnight, with a maximum of 4 inches of water (often less). Between baths, I just wash at the wash basin. I do not flush the toilet for urine (unless we have visitors) and we are also about to have new cisterns, that flush with much less water. Like you, I do not run the tap when cleaning my teeth. When I put water in the sink or bowl, I only use the minimum amount I need, rather than filling the sink or bowl up, and, if I need to use running water for anything, I run the tap as slowly as is practical. As you do, I try to make use of the water I run off while running the water hot. I either use it for something for which I can use cold water (such as washing my hands or plant pots or soaking laundry) or use it to water plants. I also use dregs of water from my water bottle, hot water flask, or glass, and from the iron, for watering indoor plants.

Great ideas Mrs Green, I’ve started to think about water recently as we had a drought at the beginning of the year and it made me realise how much we waste. So I’ve been using a shower instead of bath and when we do have a bath, I’ve been using that water to flush the toilet by putting a bucket in there. I use eco friendly washing products so use the washing up water on the flowers outside the back door; they still look good! I need to be better with turing off the tap when brushing my teeth though; I still leave it running.

@Jenny: I wish you’d have a chat with my husband too – he’s always leavign the tap running when brishing his teeth AND shaving in the morning! He thinks I’m nagging. Anyway, there are other ways in which he and I are really good – only boiling the water we need in the kettle, pouring water from the hot water bottles into the dog dishes in the morning and we have a couple of rain barrels, which for our tiny garden is enough. We’ve been really careful with planting too – using native plants which use less water.

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